The present invention generally relates to an electrophotographic copier, printer, facsimile apparatus or similar office machine having various functions and, more particularly, to an apparatus for use with such an office machine for setting desired operational conditions of the machine.
A modern office machine of the kind described, especially an electrophotographic copier, is furnished with a variety of functions. This kind of copier, for example, has an operation board on which a number of key switches and displays are arranged to be accessible for selecting operational conditions or modes associated with the respective functions of the copier. An operator therefor has to be well informed of the functions of all of the key switches on the operation board. In addition, every time the operator uses the copier, the operator has to see all of the various displays on the operation board one by one to confirm whether or not desired operation modes have been set up. This forces the operator to perform troublesome manipulations even when the desired operation modes are comparatively simple modes. Although an exclusive skilled operator may be stationed at the copier at all times, it is extremely difficult for a person to show the operator the desired operation modes for copying exactly.
In the light of this, it has been proposed to implement the setting of operational conditions by an IC (Integrated Circuit) card. A drawback with the IC card scheme is that writing various kinds of information for selecting operation modes in an IC card is not easy and, moreover, the information written on an IC card cannot be seen unless a special display is used. It has also been proposed to automatically set up desired operation modes of a copier by use of a mark sheet or menu sheet and a sheet reader. Specifically, visible information in the form of marks, for example, are written on the sheet for specifying desired operation modes, and the sheet is read by the sheet reader which is mounted on the copier body so as to automatically condition the copier for the desired operation modes. This kind of scheme is successful in eliminating the problems of the IC card. The sheet carrying specified mode information thereon is loaded in an automatic document feeder (ADF) and, like an ordinary document, transported by the ADF on and along a glass platen of the copier in response to a copy start command. While the sheet is so transported by the ADF, the information on the sheet is read by the sheet reader to automatically set up particular operation modes as indicated by the information. Alternatively, the sheet may be laid on the glass platen and read by the sheet reader which is mounted on a movable scanner, for example, disposed below the glass platen. Hence, the menu sheet and sheet reader scheme allows mode information to be written with ease and allows the written information to be readily confirmed without resorting to any special display.
However, the sheet reader stated above is securely built in the copier body so that the whole copier is complicated in construction and therefore needs an extra cost. Moreover, for those users who do not need or rarely need the automatic mode setting function implemented by the sheet and built-in sheet reader, purchasing a more expensive copier and do not make use of such a special function and therefor this is wasteful.
To overcome the above problem, the sheet reader may be constructed into an optional unit which is removable from the copier body as desired, as also proposed in the art. However, the prior art approach of this kind has some problems left unsolved. For example, while the sheet on which information are written down is read by the sheet reader, it may cause a transport error to occur inside the card reader. Specifically, when the sheet is caught by any projection existing in the sheet reader due to its own curl or similar deformation, it jams the transport path defined in the sheet reader. It is extremely difficult to remove such a sheet which is far smaller than sheet reader from the sheet reader. Further, when the sheet is inserted in the sheet reader upside down or in a wrong direction, the information written thereon cannot be correctly read and the sheet transport is apt to fail. This kind of sheet therefore requires careful handling which would further trouble the operator.
When the operation modes are selected by using such a sheet, errors are often introduced in the mode setting. Specifically, while a copier is controlled to prevent two or more different modes which are associated with a single functional item or modes which are not available with the copier from being entered on its operation board or the like, the prior art sheet discussed above is not provided with means for correcting erroneous mode setting information which may be written therein. Should a person write mode setting information in a wrong column, a plurality of different operation modes might be entered together for the same functional item available with the copier.